Talk to your baby. It’s good for him!

It pays to talk to your baby, even if she’s still in the womb, a few months old, or a toddler. You’ll be laying important groundwork for your emergent communicator. Young talkers tend to have less tantrums since they can express their needs and wants appropriately. Experts also say, a child’s wide vocabulary at age 3 bodes well for future reading aptitude.

Newborns typically respond with attention to their mother’s voice because they have become familiar with it. Nine months in-utero, their mother’s voice is what they would often hear. So if you’re pregnant, talk to you baby, read her a book or sing her some songs. This will benefit future language skills.

Babies from 1-to-12 months need to be engaged with language. Respond to their coos and gurgles as if you were having an actual conversation. Look at them while you’re at it, and respond with reassuring touches whenever you can. Point out objects and things. Describe the scenery while you’re at the park. The conversation may be one-sided for now, but you can be sure they are picking up new words and building a data base of vocabulary.

Of course, you should also give them some quiet time so they can babble on their own and play with their toys. Avoid plopping them in front of the television though. The American Academy of Pediatrics advices NO TV for kids younger than 2 years of age.

Children in this age group will not learn the word “apple” from a TV that flashes the word and picture with a voice over on a screen. In many research studies, it has been proven that a child this young can only learn words spoken to them by an actual human caregiver. It is only after age 3 when shows like Sesame Street can help kids expand their vocabularies.

Playing peek-a-boo, reading simple books and singing songs are wonderful ways to teach your baby language – not to mention good bonding moments. If your 6-to-12-month old starts to make her own sounds, tune in to see if she is actually trying to say something with meaning. Mama and Dada would be some of their first words. Mee could mean milk. Ju could be juice. Respond enthusiastically to their first attempts at talking and you’ll be encouraging language learning.

Between 18 months to 2 years your baby will start to follow simple directions and use a few words strung together. This is a good time to teach them songs. When reading, let her take over once in a while by letting her fill in parts of the story she may already know. Point to pictures in the book and give her a shot at identifying it.

When your baby starts to walk and enters toddler age, get ready for a language explosion! Between 2 to 3 years, language development speeds up at a frenetic pace. Toddlers will be able to string more words together. You’ll hear things like Daddy bye bye or Mommy go work. She can respond to Where is your dolly?

When this age comes, step up on the open-ended questions that don’t require merely yes or no answers. This will help them develop their own ideas. It’s also great practice for self-expression. For instance, after reading The Three Little Pigs you can ask them Why were they so scared of the wolf?

This is also the start of the age of pretend play. Encourage this childhood tendency. Sometimes, try to get into the act yourself – be the patient to her young doctor! Best of all, engage your child and have fun while you’re at it. From baby talk, to babbling… to a future of great conversations at the dinner table!

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